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Explanation for:
Matthew
22
:
42
Saying: What think you of Christ? whose son is he? They say to him: David's.
12
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The Saviour, having willingly embraced suffering, references a prophecy that clearly identifies Him as the Lord, not without significant reason. After the people failed to provide an accurate response to His initial inquiry by merely labeling Him a man, He counters their misunderstanding by quoting David, thus affirming His divine nature. They saw Him solely as a human, referring to Him as \\"David,\\" whereas the Saviour clarifies their misconception by invoking the prophet's words, which declare Him as Lord and the true Son of God worthy of the same honor as the Father. \\n\\nMoreover, He does not stop at this point; to instill a sense of reverence within them, He also cites the prophet's declaration, \\"Till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool,\\" hoping this might draw them closer to Him. Anticipating their potential dismissal of David’s words as exaggerated or mere opinions, He asks, \\"How does David call Him Lord in the Spirit?\\" This demonstrates the humility with which He highlights the prophet's perspective regarding Him. Initially, He posed the question, \\"What think ye of Him? Whose Son is He?\\" to prompt their response. When their answer was that He is ‘David's,’ He did not simply restate David’s words but rather continued with the question, \\"How can David call Him Lord?\\"—ensuring they do not misconstrue His teaching on His divinity.\\n\\nThe apostles too spoke of David with great reverence, acknowledging his mortality: \\"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried\\" (Acts 2:29). Similarly, the Saviour presents His own identity through questions and reasoning, asking, \\"How does David call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool?\\" He then points out, \\"If David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son?\\" (vv. 43-45). In this, He does not repudiate being David's son—indeed, He would not rebuke Peter for acknowledging this—but rather seeks to illuminate the Pharisees' flawed understanding. Thus, His inquiry, \\"What son is He?\\" implies that He is the son of David, but not in the manner they envision. They assert that Christ is only David's son and not His Lord.\\n\\nBy initially citing the prophet and then gently correcting their views by asking, \\"If David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son?\\" the Saviour leaves the Pharisees speechless. They showed no desire to pursue the truth. In this way, He leads them to consider His lordship over David. Furthermore, He does not assert this directly on His own behalf but emphasizes it through the prophet’s words, as they remained unconvinced and harbored ill feelings toward Him. It is crucial not to be misled by how the Saviour sometimes speaks of Himself with humility, for a key reason for this was His effort to align with their perceptions. Therefore, He continues to impart His teachings through questions, subtly indicating His dignity in contrast to being merely the Lord of the Jews and David.\\n\\nNotice how skillfully He articulates this teaching. After asserting the singularity of the Lord, He claims His lordship and substantiates it not only through His actions but also by quoting the prophecy. He simultaneously proclaims that the Father will execute divine retribution upon them, affirming, \\"Till I make Thy enemies Thy footstool,\\" thereby establishing His equality and dignity with the Father. With these profound words, the Saviour concludes His dialogue with the Pharisees, presenting a doctrine that is both grand and compelling, leaving them speechless. From that moment on, they refrained from questioning Him—not from choice but due to their inability to counter His argument. They received such a definitive rebuke that they no longer dared to confront Him in this manner, as stated, \\"And no man from that day forth asked Him any more questions\\" (v. 46). Thus, the Saviour, having silenced these adversaries and thwarted their malicious intentions, shifts His discourse towards the people."},{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Those who assembled to challenge Jesus and aimed to uncover the truth through a cleverly crafted inquiry ultimately fell into their own perplexity. They posed the question concerning Christ: Whose son is He? This inquiry from Jesus proves beneficial for us in our current engagement with the Jews, who also affirm that the Messiah must come. They assert that He is merely a man and a righteous descendant of David. Therefore, following the teachings of the Lord, we put forth this question to them: If He is just an ordinary man, a mere descendant of David, why does David refer to Him as his Lord? This is not due to any mistake or personal preference, but rather through the Holy Spirit. The evidence for this is found in Psalm One Hundred and Nine. Thus, the Lord is recognized as the son of David, not because He was born of him, but because He has been eternally begotten of the Father, existing prior to the Father Himself in terms of His humanity. To justify their position, the Jews concoct numerous unfounded theories, claiming that Abraham had a servant named Eliezer from Damascus; they suggest that the psalm was written in his name, and assert that when the five kings were defeated, God commanded Abraham, \\"Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool\\" (Psalms 109:1). The reference can be traced back to Genesis 14. However, one must then address how God communicated with Abraham by saying: \\"In the day of Thy power Thy people are willing in the beauty of holiness; from the womb of the morning, the dew of Thy youth\\" and \\"The Lord hath sworn, and will not change His mind: Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec\\" (Psalms 109:3-4). Thus, they are left to explain how it is that Abraham existed before creation and yet was established as a priest according to the order of Melchisedec, especially since Melchisedec brought forth bread and wine for him and received a tenth of the spoils from Abraham."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Matthew 22:41-46 The perception of the Messiah as merely a human being is addressed by the Lord. He uncovers the truth through David's prophecy, asserting His divine nature. The Pharisees believed that Christ would simply be the descendant of David, implying that He is an ordinary man."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Jesus asked them, \\"What is your opinion about the Messiah? Who is the Son of the Messiah, predicted by the prophets, and yet to arrive, as you believe, but are awaiting?\\" Consider His wisdom. They assumed that the Messiah, in the foremost commandment, would include something about Himself to demonstrate His divinity. However, He refrained from doing so to avoid their cunning, speaking of His divine nature in a subtle way, indirectly, so that others would not catch on. By engaging with others' assumptions, He both inquired and conveyed His view of the anticipated Messiah as Lord and God, while actually referring to Himself. They replied to Him, \\"David,\\" recognizing this from the prophetic scriptures. They perceived the Messiah merely as a descendant of David, viewing Him as solely human, while the prophets foretold Him not only as a man but also as God."},{"author-name":"Nicephoros (Theotokis)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8958407451968d9c204fb_Nicephoros%20(Theotokis).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":18,"exegesis-text":"Jesus, after responding to the lawyer's inquiry, posed a question to them regarding their understanding of the Christ predicted by the prophets, specifically asking by whom they referred to Him as Son. His intention was to clarify for them in a meaningful way that He was indeed the Christ, and thus the Son of God. In response, they quickly stated that they viewed the Christ merely as the Son of David, seeing Him only as a human and not as divine."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"What are your thoughts on Christ? How do you interpret the prophecies you have received regarding the Messiah and His origins, as these prophecies are meant to direct you? He inquires not about His own status as Messiah but rather the general expectations of the Jews regarding the Messiah, “lest the doctrine of His deity should appear to them contrary” (Chrysostom). - “Whose Son is He?” What lineage must He belong to? (cf. note on Matthew 1:1) - “of David”: in accordance with the promises made concerning Him to this ancestor and later affirmed (cf. ibid.)."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"As the Pharisees assembled, JESUS questioned them, \\"WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF CHRIST? What do you make of the prophecies concerning His origins? WHO IS HE THE SON OF? What is His ancestry?\\" They promptly replied, \\"HE IS A DESCENDANT OF DAVID.\\" The Pharisees answered without hesitation or deep contemplation, for this knowledge was common among the youth. However, they viewed the Messiah simply as a man. Therefore, the Lord, addressing their misunderstanding, points out that the prophet refers to Him as Lord, thus recognizing Him as the true Son of God, who shares the same honor as the Father. By willingly embracing suffering, He now invokes a prophecy that explicitly names Him Lord."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"During a discourse on the Messiah, Jesus inquired of them, “What is your understanding of the Messiah? Whose son is He?” They responded in unison, “The son of David.” This acknowledgment arose from the prophetic writings of the Old Testament, which indicated that the Messiah would come from the lineage of King David. The term son encompassed not only a direct descendant but also the broader meaning of lineage; thus, Jesus' inquiry should be interpreted as seeking to identify the ancestral line of the Messiah. The Pharisees answered, “From David.”"},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"After that, no one dared to question Him further. Then, Christ turned to the learned scholars with a question intended to reveal to them the authentic nature of the Messiah. In their spiritual blindness, they had overlooked His true glory, anticipating a political leader who would triumph over the world and seize its riches for them. Since Christ did not meet these expectations, they branded Him a deceiver and a manipulator of the people. To lead them toward the truth, Christ asked, “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is He?” They responded, “The son of David.”"},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Following the profound wisdom of the Lord, no one dared to challenge Him. His adversaries were convinced that just one brilliant beam of Divine truth could clear the confusion born from their complex arguments. While there was a profound silence, some were hushed by the shame of their defeat, while others were left in astonishment at what they had seen. The Lord continued to teach within the temple, and when the Pharisees gathered together, He spoke to them on a matter of great significance. Desiring to correct their misconceptions regarding the Messiah and to caution the people against being misled by their erroneous beliefs, He inquired, “What do the scribes say about Christ being the Son of David? What is your understanding of Christ as the Son of David?” He did not frame the question as a reflection of their thoughts about Him, but rather about Christ, so that, as noted by St. John Chrysostom, the truth of His Divinity would not appear contradictory to them. The Pharisees quickly responded, adhering to their established belief: that he was of Davidic descent. They recognized that in accordance with God’s promise, the Messiah would arise from the lineage of King David. While their response was rooted in truth, they fell short by only acknowledging the Messiah's earthly lineage from the tribe of David while neglecting to address His Divine nature, thus failing to answer the question adequately."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Through His inquiry, Jesus Christ does not intend to deny the widely held belief among the Jewish people that the Messiah must come from David's lineage. Rather, He aims to refine and elevate their understanding of Him. The Pharisees, and subsequently the entire nation, failed to recognize that the Messiah, as affirmed in David's own divinely inspired declaration, is also his Lord—the Son of God. This question posed by Jesus arises from the realization that the Pharisees recalled the Lord’s testimony about Himself as the Son of God and sought a reiteration of this claim to accuse Him of blasphemy."},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In the midst of these discussions, the topic of the countenance of the Messiah was brought up. Jesus questioned the Pharisees present, asking, \\"How is it that the Messiah is referred to by David, through the inspiration of the Spirit, as both the son of David and his Lord?\\" This inquiry likely aimed to affirm through Scripture His teaching on the Messiah's unparalleled Divine essence, a truth dismissed by those fixated solely on the letter of the law, as seen during the Feast of Tabernacles and the restoration of the temple. Yet, this profound question went unanswered. Just as they hesitated to respond regarding John to avoid inconsistency, they also refrained from answering the inquiry about the Messiah Himself."}]}
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